A lot of people here in California are freaked out about earthquakes right now. I have a lot of thoughts on this, mainly that the best way to deal with being freaked out is to be prepared. Here’s a nice article from GOOD magazine about how to be ready. And on the same vein, let me recommend Rebecca Solnit’s book, A Paradise Built in Hell: The Extraordinary Communities that Arise in Disaster.Her book is vitally relevant right now, as disasters and crises abound – earthquakes (let’s not forget that the Haiti earthquake was just a year ago), nuclear threat, civil unrest – Conventional belief suggests that in such moments society collapses and people revert to savagery and selfishness. In fact, though institutions often fail in disaster, ordinary people often rise to the occasion with profound creativity and courage. I love this book because it details how resilient our communities are – and this is the message we need right now. Rebecca is also the author of another of my favorite books ever: Hope in the Dark: Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities. And, I have to tell you, she is a fan of cupcakes. And pies.

PS – I’m looking for a new commercial kitchen to rent that’s closer to where I live – somewhere in Berkeley/North Oakland or Downtown/Emeryville. Would love to share with another catering business, or work in a restaurant/cafe during the off hours. Got any ideas? Email me!

Related

One comment on “Blue Flower Cupcakes for Japan”

[…] Fransisco community to hold a massive bake sale raising $8,000; one attendee blogged and praised the blue flower cupcakes offered at the fundraising event. Both organizations will direct these funds to the American Red […]